Maddie
by Rainosa
Summary: Jack and Vlad are trapped together in a room, dying. Carbon monoxide is slowly being pumped in, and Jack is feeling paticularly worrisome. Oneshot. Written for PAT practice


Maddie

"How did we end up here, Vlad?" I wonder, breathing out a sigh of defeat.

Behind me, I feel him squirming to get away from me, hating my entire being. I know he heard me; we're barely a foot apart. A metallic cord binds us together, back to back, keeping us from making any attempt to escape our prison. He continues struggling however, in a hopeless tirade of desperation, jostling me as I sit limply across from him.

"Huh, Vlad? How. On. Earth. Did we end up here," I question, not letting his silence distract me. He starts jumping away in little fits, each one stronger than the last, but to no avail. On his fourth try, I pull him back down with more force than necessary.

"HOW?!" I cry.

"YOU LET US GET BLOODY CAPTURED, JACK!" He finally screams, his first words since we woke up. Collapsing back to the ground, he goes limp against my back, his ragged breathing slowing as the exertion wore off. I can tell he's angry, but I know that there's nothing I can say to calm him that won't set him off again. Still, I persist in my conversational attempts.

"No, Vlad. How. Did we. Get. HERE," I press, stressing my deeper meaning. He takes a deep breath and exhales through his nose, a sure sign that he is trying to keep his cool. After spending years with him, I know that any word from his mouth at this point will surely be in outrage. He opens his mouth to speak, but I interrupt him to prevent an argument.

"Don't you remember? Ten years we spent together, Vlad. Ten years that we lived together. We learned together. Where did that go? What did I do?"

"What did you DO?!" Vlad roars, "This, Jack! YOU DID THIS TO ME!"

I don't have to turn and look to know what he's talking about. Memories of discolored skin and bloodshot eyes are all I need. He's a monster; the kind I'd thought of destroying since my childhood. The kind we'd tried studying for so many years, and he knew it. But...he had to be wrong about this.

"Vlad, please try to remember-"

"Remember what? You stealing Maddie away from me? You, blatantly taking credit for my work? You causing the accident that disfigured me forever? I remember it perfectly," Vlad seethes, hissing through his teeth. I flinch as though he's inflicted a wound on me, because his hatred hurts just as much. How had we gone from what we were to what we are? The difference is unfathomable. For Pete's sake, we had been best friends for all of my college life! Where had this hatred arisen? How? I can't remember a single negative action or feeling towards him. All I can see is the good old Vlad; smart, ambitious, and happy. And the only thing I can do is hope that he is still around.

"But Vlad...you don't," I state slowly, begging for him to listen.

"Excuse me?" he seems offended, but his words are an invitation to proceed.

"You don't remember it perfectly," I confirm, continuing before my chance is lost, "You're forgetting the most important parts. The good parts."

I can feel his expression darkening, the air changing it's countenance, "What good parts, Jack?"

The loathing in his voice as he says my name stings, and drags my confidence to a new low, but I force the memory out, "We were friends. We used to go out to the movies and shout at the screen when the credits came on. We used to spend hours together in the study hall, trying to pass our exams. We used to pull pranks on our professors. And pillow fights! Me, you, and Maddie would always have a pillow fight during our free classes. How can you not remember that, Vlad? We were friends."

There's a long silence, and I can't figure out what he's thinking. I know my words have hit him hard; you can't just forget about the past and expect it to leave you alone. His quiet response is not something I would expect from Vlad, though. Maybe he really has changed. I didn't believe anyone else when they told me he was a different person, now. I didn't even believe it when I saw him coming after me, trying to kill me. But quiet Vlad...that's different.

A twinge of pain in my chest awakens me, and I realize that I'm starting to feel dizzy. It's started. Carbon monoxide is slowly being pumped into the room, filling up the enclosed space and replacing the oxygen in our blood. We're going to die. It suddenly hits me that I only have a few minutes left, and terror flows through me.

"We're dying, Vlad. Actually dying," I panic, desperation clawing at my throat.

"Not again. Please," I hear him whisper.

"What will they think?" I can feel my mind starting to slip, "Maddie. My kids. What will they do without us?"

Vlad breathes a soft chuckle, "Maddie will be fine. She's a strong girl. She can take care of herself."

I am absolutely not calmed, "But Danny and Jasmine, they are still so innocent. They need me, Vlad. I can't lose them. They can't...They can't lose me! I need them! I can't… I can't Vlad!"

He's silent again, but just for a moment, "Okay. I forgive you."

"What?" I've lost track of our previous conversation.

"I forgive you. For Maddie. For the accident. For everything else. I'm sorry for trying to hurt you."

His sudden apology is astounding, to say the least. I don't know if I could forgive someone like that, especially after twenty-five years of seeking revenge. But he just…

"Why?" I stutter out as I start to lose consciousness, my body refusing to accept the CO instead of O2.

"Because…," he breathes, also struggling to stay awake, "Because you helped me remember everything."

He falls limp against my back as his consciousness goes. He's not dead yet; I know how carbon monoxide works. but he's very, very close. My eyelids flutter as I fade to join him, but a sudden whirring noise draws my attention for a few moments. I turn to face the disturbance, and manage to keep my eyes open just long enough to watch as a hole forms in the wall, and in steps a woman.

"Don't you dare die on me. Either of you," Maddie orders, high-tech weapon across her shoulders.

I smile. We're not going to die after all.


End file.
